Concrete Angel
by OtterLittleM
Summary: Carlisle takes in an abused 16 year old human into the family. Can he and his family keep their secret hidden from her?
1. Chapter 1: Elizabeth Lincoln

Chapter One: Elizabeth Lincoln

Carlisle was working late that night at the hospital. It was that night that he first saw the girl. She was brought in an ambulance, going to be put in urgent care. A police officer had found her in the park, her wrists covered in blood, a bottle of pills next to her. The girl's body was covered in bruises from abuse. Some bruises were fading, others were just forming, and there were many bruises in between. However, the cuts on her wrists and the swallowing of the pills had been her own choice. The pain of her abuse had been too much. Carlisle worked hard to save that girls life that night. The people running around him, the yelling of the people, and the beeping of the machines did not distract him. He pumped her stomach and wrapped her wrists in bandages. That night everything changed for the Cullen family. That night Carlisle went home with the abused girl from urgent care on his mind. Her name was Elizabeth Lincoln.


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting

Carlisle, Alice, Jasper, and Esme moved to Portland about 5 years after Bella turned. People were beginning to notice that they were not aging. Bella and Edward moved to Alaska so that Bella could go to school there; Rosalie and Emmet were traveling the world. Rosalie had really wanted to travel and she wanted to visit her parents' graves. Carlisle had gotten a job at a large hospital but he often worked nights, which is when he had first met Elizabeth. Esme was finding much enjoyment in resorting old houses in Portland. Alice and Jasper were going to college in Portland; Alice was going for fashion and Jasper was going for engineering.

Carlisle often found himself thinking about the girl in the emergency room, the one named Elizabeth Lincoln. She was still in the hospital but recovering. A social worker was working on where she was going to live, with whom. She did not have any immediate family; her grandparents were dead, her mother was dead, her father abusive and currently awaiting trial. No aunts or uncles, no siblings. She was alone in the world. And the more Carlisle thought about it, the more he wanted her to come live with his family.

While he was working, he thought of the first time she talked to him. She had refused to talk to any of the other male nurses and doctors and said few words to the female nurses and doctors. Elizabeth spoke the most to her social worker, Marie, the most so that Elizabeth could be placed in a foster home. She first spoke to Carlisle about a week after she arrived at the hospital. Elizabeth had looked at him with her bright blue eyes and asked, "What's your name?" He replied "Doctor Carlisle Cullen. What's yours?" She stared at him for a few minutes watching him change her IV bags and then replied "You already know that." "I do, I was asking to be polite." Elizabeth smiled and Carlisle realized in that moment that he had never seen her smile. After another few moments, she said, "You know, you're the only one to be truly honest with me. " "What do you mean?" Carlisle asked. But she said nothing more.

It had been 3 days since that conversation with Elizabeth and she had a few conversations with him. Mostly about trivial things, what she was watching on the television, what books she wanted to read. Occasionally, however, she mentioned, how much she wanted to have a foster dad like him. She never elaborated when Carlisle pressed her for more information. He went on his lunch break thinking how impossible it was for him to bring her home. How could a human girl come live with a household of vampires and truly be safe? He was reminded of everything the family had gone through when Bella and Edward fell in love; how much danger Bella had been in before she became a vampire. How could he do that to another girl? Especially one so young, one that seemed so broken. That is when the social worker on Elizabeth's case entered the room and sat across from him and said "hello Carlisle." Well, hello Marie" he replied with a soft smile, "What brings you to me? Something having to do with Miss Lincoln's care I pursue?" "Actually, yes", Marie smiled, "what I am about to ask you is quite unconventional, but I and the board have decided that you would be the best person for Elisabeth to come live with. She seems to trust you, well as much as she can trust any grown male at this point in time. We've heard nothing but good things about you and your family. Would you please consider this?" Carlisle was in awe. He didn't know what to say, he'd love to of course, but what of her safety, what if the Voulturi found out? But despite all of those concerns he found himself saying "I'd love too. I need to talk it over with my wife and children first." Marie smiled and said, "Of course, take as much time as you need. We would like to know before she leaves the hospital but from the reports I've read, that won't be happening for a week or so due to her injuries."


	3. Chapter 3: Deciding

Carlisle drove home that evening from work wondering how he was going to ask his family about this. Alice had surly had a vision about it; however, he was unsure if she had said anything to the Esme and Jasper about it. He had not come up with a solution when he pulled into their driveway.

Their house was in the outskirts of Portland, in a clearing. There were many trees surrounding the house. The house was and old, large Victorian mansion that Esme had helped restore. The house was a light, tan color with a deck going around the house. There was a garage separate from the house and was built in 2009, about a year before the Cullens bought the house. The house was built in 1901.

Carlisle walked in the front door, which led into the living room. Jasper was stretched out on the couch reading a book for a class; Alice was on the floor designing a dress for one of her classes. Esme was in the kitchen, one room over, working on a project for work. Alice looked up when she heard the door open and said, "So, what's her name?" Carlisle blinked, sat down, and said "Elizabeth Lincoln." "What does she like?" Carlisle watched Alice draw, surprised at how blunt she was and how well she was handling Elizabeth. Then he said "Art. Reading. I'm still working on getting her to trust me completely." Then Esme walked in and sat down. She sat for a while and then asked "So, are you sure you want to bring the girl here? You remember what the Volturi did when Bella was human." Jasper looked up from his book and said very plainly, "so we don't tell her what we are. We act as if we're human. We pretend we eat and sleep and do everything humans do." Carlisle was so confused at his family's reaction; he had expected them to be upset at the idea of a human coming into their home. Carlisle then asked "Why are you okay with this?" Alice looked up and put down her pencil. She looked at Carlisle for a little while and then said, "Because I saw her here. I saw what her life was like before, with her father. I saw that she was better here. Carlisle then said quietly, "You saw more, but you aren't going to tell me are you?" Alice replied, "I saw more, but it is nothing you need to know."

"So, what's the decision?" Esme smiled and told him "The answer is yes. Bring her home, bring her here." Carlisle nodded and said softly "thank you."


	4. Chapter 4: Elizabeth meets the family

Before Carlisle knew what was happening, he and Esme were signing the papers for Elizabeth to become their foster daughter and then a week passed. Then the day came when Carlisle could bring Elizabeth home. It was a Saturday and Carlisle had the day off. Carlisle walked into Elizabeth's hospital room where she was sitting on the bed waiting for him. Carlisle put his hands in his pockets and looked at her for a moment. She looked back at him and said nothing. "Hello Elizabeth, are you ready to go?" She nodded and then stood up. There was a duffle bag on the floor with some clothes in it. Carlisle walked over while she was standing up and picked up. Then he put his arm around her as they walked out to the car.

They got to the car and Carlisle opened the door for her. He then put her bag in the back seat and got in himself. Elizabeth was staring ahead, silently. Her long, black hair was covering one of her eyes because of the black eye she had. She kept her arms close to her body, as if protecting herself. They were silent for the first few minutes of the ride. Then Carlisle said, "I hope you like your room. One of my daughters, Alice, designed it for you. She's going to school for fashion design and interior designing. I told her you like to read and to draw." Elizabeth sat for a few moments and then asked quietly "how old is Alice?" "19" "How many children do you have?" Carlisle smiled as he thought of his children and then replied, "I have 5 adopted children and a daughter in law. My son Edward married Bella and they adopted Edward's niece. "Elizabeth looked over at him and said, "You're a little young to be a grandpa." She then had a small smile but the smile quickly left her face which went back to be stone cold. Carlisle looked at her and grinned. Then he said, "I think I saw a small smile on that face of yours." Elizabeth sat silently and shook her head no. Carlisle laughed and then said, "Jasper and Alice are home; Esme is currently helping a family design their new home. They're building. She'll be home tonight sometime though." Elizabeth nodded. They were in the country and then Carlisle turned into the driveway. She looked around in awe; she looked like she was in utter amazement. Carlisle parked the car and said, "Welcome home." She looked at him and asked, "You live here?" He nodded.

They walked into the house; Carlisle had his arm around her shoulders protectively. She was very tense, unsure how to handle everything. Alice walked into the living room and smiled "Hello Elizabeth, I'm Alice." Elizabeth smiled and nodded nervously, unsure of how to take the kindness. Then Jasper walked in and stood behind Alice. He said nothing and watched Elizabeth as she looked around the house. In the living room, there was a TV and many couches and chairs. She could see part of the kitchen in the next room and a stairs going up and down. Then there was a hallway off the living room.

Alice grabbed Elizabeth's hand and said enthusiastically, "Let me show you your room. I think you'll love it!" Elizabeth looked at Carlisle for approval and he nodded. He followed them down the hallway as Alice opened a door to the last room in the hallway and gave Elizabeth a slight push into the room and then followed her in. Carlisle was right behind them slightly worried as to how Elizabeth would handle Alice's designing of the room. When he got into the room, Carlisle saw Elizabeth in the middle of the room looking around. She was taking small steps in a circle to see the entire room. Alice stood by the doorway with a huge smile on her face; Alice leaned over to Carlisle and whispered, "Don't worry so much, she loves it. Plus, you're a great father." Carlisle nodded.


	5. Chapter 5: Moving In

Her room was huge; she had lived in a trailer park her entire life. Elizabeth's father had made good money as a construction worker but spent most of it on liquor. There was a walk in closet, a large bookshelf, and many art supplies. The walls were painted a royal blue and her bed was up against the wall with pink blankets and 6 or 7 pillows on it. Elizabeth turned to Carlisle and Alice asking, "This - this is all for me?" Alice nodded and replied happily, "Yes, it is. Carlisle mentioned that you liked art and the colors pink and blue. I hope you like your art supplies! Oooo! And your clothes, and that they fit!" Alice started walking towards the closet when Carlisle said earnestly, "Let's not overwhelm Elizabeth, this is her first day here." Alice nodded and said, "I'm going to go finish my homework." She then skipped out of the room and down the hallway. Carlisle was leaning against the doorframe when he said, "I'll leave you to unpack and explore. Let me know if you need any help." Elizabeth nodded; glad he was not hovering, and started unpacking as Carlisle left the room. She didn't have much to unpack; she had two outfits, a set of pajamas, and a picture of her and her mom that the social worker, Marie, had let her keep.

Elizabeth walked into her closet with her clothes and her eyes widened in amazement. It was full of new cloths; Elizabeth had never had so many new clothes. Her father had only given her enough money to get second hand clothes from thrift shops. She put her clothes in a drawer and then turned in a circle a couple times thinking to herself "I don't deserve a family like them. They're too good for me."

Meanwhile, down the hall, Jasper and Alice were arguing in whispers. When they heard Carlisle, the quickly grew silent. Carlisle, sounding concerned, asked, "What are you two arguing about?" Jasper quickly answered "Nothing", however; Alice responded in a low voice, "Jasper is worried that he might hurt Elizabeth. Or the Volturi might come. Or both. But I told him neither will happen." "You don't know that for sure. We all know how quickly things can change." Jasper said this quietly but angrily. He was upset that Alice, his wife, was so unconcerned with his worries. Carlisle looked and Jasper and said "I know m son, so I know you will not hurt. We will handle any problems with the Volturi if or when they come. " Jasper looked at him distraught and then said "I'm going to the library, I have homework to finish." He quickly grabbed his bag by one strap and walked out. Alice and Carlisle watched him leave and heard his car go down the gravel road. Alice looked at Carlisle and said softly "He'll be back in a few hours." She grabbed her drawings and quickly went upstairs to her room. Then Esme walked into the room, just coming home from work, and asked a very confused Carlisle two questions, "What happened and where's Elizabeth?"


	6. Chapter 6: The Zoo

Carlisle was sitting with Esme in the kitchen explaining all that had happened while she had been at work. They were sitting in silence when Elizabeth came into the kitchen. They both looked over as she came in and Carlisle stood up with a smile. "Elizabeth, this is my wife, Esme." Esme stood up and offered her hand to Elizabeth. She smiled and said, "It's so nice to finally meet you Elizabeth. Carlisle has been so excited to have you come live with us." Elizabeth shook Esme's hand and nodded. She looked around the kitchen nervously. The kitchen was very modern with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. Esme looked at Carlisle curiously. Then Carlisle asked, "Elizabeth, are you hungry?" She nodded silently. Esme asked quickly, "What would you like?" Elizabeth looked at her for a little bit and then asked, "Can I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?" Carlisle and Esme looked at her for a moment, confused. Then Carlisle said quickly, "Of course." Esme started making her a sandwich and Carlisle asked, "What would you like to drink?" "Milk." Carlisle smiled and nodded. Carlisle got a glass down from a cupboard as Elizabeth went to the fridge to get the milk. Carlisle took the milk from her and poured her a glass. Carlisle said "Sit down." Elizabeth sat down on a stool and Esme handed her a sandwich. She started eating.

Esme sat down across from her and Carlisle sat next to her. "How do you like your room? Alice was very excited to get everything for you." Esme sounded so happy; Elizabeth nodded and said, "I love it. It's beautiful." Esme said, "She'll be so happy to hear that." "Where are Alice and Jasper?" Carlisle said "Alice is in her room working on her designs for school; Jasper had to go to the library to work on an essay." Suddenly Esme's phone started ringing; "Excuse me, I have to answer this." She then went into the next room. Elizabeth finished her sandwich said quietly, "Thank you." Carlisle said, "You're welcome. Did you get enough to eat?" She nodded. "Excellent." Esme then came back to the kitchen and said exasperatedly, "I have to go back to work. There seem to be some problems with the construction workers not being paid. For some reason they want me to come in." Carlisle nodded and then got up and put his hands on her waist and kissed her. "Good luck. I'm sure it'll all be figured out soon." Esme nodded and said, "I'll be back soon. Elizabeth, I really am sorry for leaving so quickly after meeting you. We'll have to go shopping or something together. A girl's night." Elizabeth nodded and gave a small smile, "Yes. That seems nice." Esme left.

Carlisle looked at Elizabeth. He then asked, "Would you like to do anything right now? Watch a movie, go somewhere?" Elizabeth sat quietly and stared off into space. She then looked at Carlisle and said "Can we go to the zoo?" Carlisle replied, "Of course."

They pulled into the zoo. Carlisle looked at her and said, "The zoo closes at 4, so we only have a couple hours, so make sure we see your favorite animals first. Of course, we can always come back tomorrow." She nodded and they got out of the car.

"Alright, we're here. What do you want to see first?" Elizabeth stared at the map for a while and said, "The Amur leopard." Carlisle smiled and said, "Alright, let's go." Elizabeth gave him a wide smile and started to skip off to the exhibit. Carlisle smiled a huge smile and thought to himself how they were off to a good start. They were looking at the leopards and Elizabeth said, "I love leopards. They seem so free. They can jump to incredible heights. Plus I think if I were an animal, I think I would be an Amur leopard." Carlisle looked at her curiously and asked, "Why's that?" Her reply came quietly, "Because they're solitary and nocturnal. A lot like me." Carlisle nodded, shocked at the honesty of her. He quickly hid his confusion as to not let her know of his confusion. "Why don't you let me take a picture of you in front of the exhibit?" "Alright." He snapped the picture and they spent the rest of the day looking at the animals.


	7. Chapter 7: The Needle

They got home about 5 o' clock and Carlisle asked Elizabeth, "would you like a tour of the house?" Elizabeth nodded. Carlisle showed her the house; it was quite large with 8 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, a sitting room, 5 bathrooms, and a kitchen. When they got back to the main living room, Carlisle said, "Esme could tell you the history of this place, the year it was made, who lived here, what's original, what's been updated, all those sort of things. " He smiled and then continued talking, "I find it interesting but I don't think I could ever make a living with it. History is more of, a side hobby of mine. I prefer more on the history of cities, how countries started, myths, that sort of thing. Jasper could tell you all about how various empires rose and fell, all of the major wars, that sort of thing. He wants to join the army when he's done with school." He looked at Elizabeth. She was looking around nervously with her hands in her pockets. Carlisle looked at her and said, "You don't have to be scared about anything. No one is going to hurt you and this is your home too. We want you to feel welcome." She nodded and gave him a sad smile.

Carlisle looked at her concerned and asked, "What's wrong?" He then walked towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong." She avoided his eyes as she said this. Carlisle replied calmly "Something's wrong. You won't look at me and you gave me such a sad smile before." Elizabeth looked at him and Carlisle could see a few tears running down her face. She wiped the tears away and said, "I'd rather not talk about it." Carlisle nodded and pulled her into a hug and whispered, "If you need to talk I'll always be here to listen." Elizabeth was a first very tense, not use to anyone ever showing her any physical signs of caring, and then she hugged him back and nodded. She whispered back, "thank you."

Elizabeth then pulled away and ran to her room. Carlisle was stunned and then quickly followed her. He tried to open the door but found it was locked; he could hear Elizabeth sobbing inside. "Elizabeth, let me in." Carlisle sounded worried but Elizabeth replied, "Please, just leave me alone. I'm fine, really." But the sobs continued and Carlisle felt helpless. He asked her repeatedly for about 10 minutes for her to let him in. He didn't know what to do; did he break down the door and risk having her discover the family's secret, did he leave her be? He leaned against the door for a few minutes and the sobs became quiet and the time in between each one longer. Carlisle said, "Elizabeth, if you need or want me, I'll be in the living room." A quiet, sad voice replied, "Alright, but I'm fine." Carlisle then went and sat down on the couch; he put his head in his hands. He heard Alice come rushing down the stairs and he turned to look.

Alice had a very frightened look on her face and she said quickly, "Carlisle, go to Elizabeth. Now! She's harming herself."

Carlisle registered this and then ran to her room. He started banging on the door. "Elizabeth, if you don't let me in your room in the next 10 seconds, I'm going to break down the door." 10, long seconds passed. Nothing. Carlisle pushed in the door and got in. Elizabeth wasn't in her bedroom and then Carlisle looked in her bathroom. On the floor was Elizabeth with a sewing needle in her left hand, her right wrist covered in blood. She looked up at him and continued sobbing silently. Carlisle grabbed a towel, sat down on the ground next to her, and pressed the towel on her wrist. He put his other arm around her and pulled her into a hug and started rocking her to calm her down.


	8. Chapter 8: The Hospital

Carlisle and Elizabeth were sitting on the floor of her bathroom. Carlisle was holding her tightly in one arm and pressing a towel tightly on the arm with the cuts. Elizabeth was sobbing openly now. Alice was staring. Carlisle looked at Alice and said very calmly, "Alice, I need you to get me another towel so I can apply more pressure to her wrist. Then I need you to drive Elizabeth and I to the hospital. Her wrist is going to need to be bandaged." Alice nodded and ran off.

Elizabeth was sobbing and saying repeatedly "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Carlisle pulled her in closer and said, "Everything is going to be alright."

Alice then came back with another towel and Carlisle took it, throwing the used one on the sink. He then began standing up, pulling Elizabeth with him, and said, "Come on sweet heart, let's get you to the hospital." Elizabeth nodded, shaking with every sob, and walked leaning against Carlisle down the hallway.

Alice drove them to the hospital and for the entire drive there, Carlisle didn't let go of Elizabeth.

When they arrived, they got Elizabeth checked into a room and a doctor started bandaging Elizabeth up. Alice waited in the waiting room and called Jasper and Esme to let them know what had happened.

Carlisle stayed by Elizabeth, keeping her as calm as he possibly could. Her sobbing slowly stopped and she just sat, staring ahead at the wall with a cold expression. The doctor taking care of Elizabeth said quietly, "Doctor Cullen, can I talk with you in the hallway?" Carlisle nodded and kissed Elizabeth on the top of her head. He then told her, "I'll be right back, alright?" She nodded and then curled up on the bed in the fetal position.

Carlisle and the doctor taking care of Elizabeth, Neil Kennedy, told Carlisle, "We'll have to keep her overnight, I'm sure you know that." Carlisle nodded. "And report this to social services." Carlisle nodded. "I'm sure they'll make sure she stays with you. I don't know of anyone better to take care of her." Once again, Carlisle nodded. Then he asked, "Can I be the one to tell her she has to stay overnight?" Doctor Kennedy nodded and said, "Of course."

Carlisle caught a glimpse of Alice in the waiting room. Esme and Jasper were both there, waiting for him. She smiled and nodded at him. Carlisle walked into the room, sat down next to Elizabeth who was still in the fetal position, and began telling her what was going on. Explaining that they had to keep her in the hospital overnight to make sure she was going to be okay. She began sobbing again, her whole body shaking. Carlisle watched her for a moment. She then sat up and looked at him. She said to him, with her voice shaking, "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. You've been nothing but nice to me all day and I go and do this." She looked at her wrist and then started sobbing again. Carlisle sad down on the bed and pulled her into a hug and started rubbing her back. "Everything will be okay," he said, "I promise."

Alice, Jasper, and Esme all left about an hour after Elizabeth was checked into the hospital. Carlisle stayed with her all night, holding her hand. Doctors came and went all night checking on Elizabeth and they all gave Carlisle sympathetic looks when they left.


	9. Chapter 9: Home Again

The next day when Elizabeth woke up, she saw Carlisle sitting in a chair reading. He looked up from his book and smiled. He said kindly, "How are you feeling?" She didn't say anything, just stared at him. Then after a few minutes, she said, "I feel tired." Carlisle smiled and reached out and touched her shoulder. He then said, "Everything is going to be okay. The doctors think you can come home today." She smiled and said hopefully, "Really?" Carlisle nodded and then he said, "I'm going to go tell them you're awake. They'll want to talk to you." Elizabeth nodded.

While Carlisle was gone, Elizabeth curled up into the fetal position. Thousands of thoughts were racing through her head. Some of them were good, like how lucky she was to have someone like Carlisle in her life. But most of the thoughts were questions. How could someone love her? How could a complete stranger and his family take her in?

Carlisle walked in with a female doctor behind him. "Elizabeth, this is Doctor Anne Earhart. She's going to ask you some questions." Elizabeth sat up and nodded. Doctor Earhart then proceeded to ask her many questions about her depression, her abuse, why she had cut herself. This went on for a half hour.

Doctor Earhart then wrote her a prescription for her depression. Doctor Earhart looked at Carlisle and said, "I would recommend taking her to therapy. It will help her a lot. You can pick her medication at the pharmacy on the first floor. She's free to go home though." Doctor Earhart turned to Elizabeth and said seriously, "If you ever have any thoughts of suicide or self harm, you tell Carlisle. If he's not home, you call 911. Get yourself to the hospital. Alright?" Elizabeth nodded.

Carlisle and Elizabeth went home that day. When Carlisle parked the car, he looked over at Elizabeth. He thought to himself that she looked sad, like she there wasn't a thing in the world that could make her happy. Elizabeth looked at him and said, "I'm a really screwed up person aren't I?" Carlisle just looked at her for a moment and then said, "You are not screwed up. You've been through a lot."

When they entered the house, Alice came rushing towards them. Alice then hugged Elizabeth tightly saying happily, "I'm so glad you're home." Elizabeth went tense. Alice quickly went go.

Elizabeth backed up and stood slightly behind Carlisle. Alice looked confused while Jasper looked as though he was going to be sick with the way he was holding himself. Esme had an exasperated look on her face. Carlisle then looked at Elizabeth again and she looked like she was going break down again. Carlisle then put a hand on Elizabeth's back and started pushing her forward. "Let's go get you settled in." Elizabeth nodded.

When they got upstairs, Elizabeth started crying. Carlisle pulled her into a hug and held her tight. "Everything is going to be alright. You're going to be fine; you are going to get through all of your pain."

Elizabeth then said through her sobs, "I'm not. I don't deserve you all as my family. I don't deserve to live." Carlisle pulled her in tight, being careful not to show his exceptional strength as a vampire. He then went to the bed and sat down, taking her with him. Elizabeth looked at him and said, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She then started sobbing again. Carlisle put his arms around her again and said, "You have nothing to be sorry for. You are doing the best you can, you might not be handling it the best but we'll get it figured out."


	10. Chapter 10: Carlisle and Esme

Elizabeth had fallen asleep. Carlisle sat in her room, watching, ensuring that she didn't hurt herself. Esme came into the room and sat down next to him. She looked at him and whispered, "You know, you can only do so much to help her." Carlisle nodded and whispered, "I have to save her. I have to help her." Esme put a hand over his and held tight. "I know you are going to do everything you can to save her and I know you want to help her, but please, understand she'll open up when she's ready. She's been hurt by a man who was suppose to love her unconditionally. Just show her how much you care. She'll trust you eventually."

Carlisle nodded and then leaned over and kissed Esme. He nodded and said so quietly and sadly, "I hate to see her so hurt. I don't know what it is about this child, I've seen thousands of children who have been abused, depressed, you name it, I've seen it. But Elizabeth, she's different, and I don't know why."

Esme nodded and replied, "You'll figure it and you'll help her." Esme stood up and said, "I'm have some work to finish but you don't need to stay up here all night. She'll be fine; the doctors did give her some pretty strong sleeping medication." Carlisle nodded and said, "I'm going to stay here. I need to know that she is okay." Esme nodded and then left.

Carlisle sat through the night in Elizabeth's room in case she needed him. He knew she would sleep through the night; her physician had prescribed a strong sleeping medication to help her sleep in addition to an anti-depressant and a recommendation for her to go to therapy.


	11. Chapter 11: Breakfast

It was about 5 in the morning when Elizabeth walked down to the kitchen. Carlisle had left her room about 5 minutes beforehand. Alice had had a vision of her coming down to the kitchen and staring at the knives for a while. Carlisle had decided to go downstairs and read a book called Eldest. It was quite a good book. He looked up at the sound of Elizabeth's footsteps. Elizabeth was wrapped up in a pink, fleece blanket that Bella had made and sent to them when she and Edward had heard that Elizabeth would be coming to live with them. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Carlisle smiled at her and said, "Good morning Elizabeth, would you like some breakfast? I'm thinking about making chocolate chip pancakes if you would like some." Elizabeth nodded and sat down next to Carlisle on a stool. "What are you reading," she asked quietly. "It's a book called Eldest. It's quite good." She nodded and whispered, "I read that book and Eragon. I'm excited for the third book." Carlisle smiled and asked, "You like to read?" She nodded and Carlisle went to the cupboard to get pancake mix and chocolate chips. He started making the pancakes and asked, "What do you like to read?" Elizabeth shrugged and replied, "Just about anything. I like a Child called it a lot." Carlisle nodded and said, "I read that when it first came out. It's very good. Interesting." Elizabeth nodded and pulled the blanket around her tighter.

Carlisle then flipped a pancake as if he was a pizza maker. Elizabeth giggled. Carlisle smiled. When the pancakes were done, he put them on a plate and gave them to Elizabeth. "There you go, Elizabeth. Enjoy." She smiled and said softly, "Thank you." She started eating quickly, as if she would never eat again. "You can slow down," Carlisle said, "I can also make more. If you're not hungry when you're done with those, I can make them again." Elizabeth looked up, with her mouth full of pancakes and nodded.

Alice and Jasper walked downstairs. Alice smiled, walked over and sat down next to Elizabeth, and said, "Good morning Elizabeth. Aren't Carlisle's pancakes amazing?" Elizabeth nodded and then looked over at Jasper, who was standing by the doorway watching them. She suddenly felt calmer, for no apparent reason. "Come over here Jasper, come talk to Elizabeth."

Jasper walked over slowly and stood on the opposite side of the counter of Alice and Elizabeth. Carlisle walked over and asked, "would either of you like some pancakes. What are you all doing up so early anyways?"

Alice said cheerily, "I went to bed early. I have to work at 6:30." Jasper answered, "I have to be going soon, and I work at 5." "Where do you two work at?" Jasper answered, "I work at the University."

Alice answered, "I work at Hobby Lobby." Elizabeth nodded. Jasper then said, "Alice, we better go, if we want to get to work on time." Alice and nodded and said, "See you later Elizabeth." Elizabeth said, "See you later Alice."

Alice and Jasper left. Carlisle sat down next to Elizabeth. Elizabeth looked at Carlisle confused and asked him in her quiet voice, "Aren't you going to eat?" Carlisle shook his head and replied, "I ate before you got up." Elizabeth nodded.

"Where's Esme?"

"She's getting ready for work also."

"She works a lot."

Carlisle nodded and replied, "She loves her job." "Are you working today?" Carlisle shook his head and replied, "I have Mondays off since I work on Saturdays." Elizabeth nodded and finished her pancakes. "These were very good, thank you." "You're very welcome, Elizabeth. Did you get enough to eat?" She nodded. He smiled and said, "That's good." "Can you take me to the library sometime today? I'd like to get a library card." Carlisle nodded and said, "Of course. The library opens at 9, would you like to go then?"

Elizabeth nodded. Carlisle then asked, "What do you like to read?" Elizabeth said, with a bit of confidence in her voice, which surprised Carlisle, "Just about anything. At school, I was ahead of most of classmates in reading and English. I did quite well in History too because I read a lot about history too."

Carlisle nodded and said, "Are you excited for school in the fall?" Elizabeth shook her head no. Carlisle looked concerned and asked, "Why not?"

Elizabeth looked at Carlisle and said, "Best scenario, no one notices me. Worst case, I get teased or beat up." Carlisle then asked his concern showing through, "Why would they not notice you, tease you, or beat you up? You're a nice, smart girl."

"Because I'm different. I'm in foster care. My mother is dead and my father is in jail for child abuse. I have cuts on my wrist, which by the time school comes around will be scars. They won't be able to get past what they see. The scar on my face tends to scare people away too."

Carlisle looked her and then touched the scar on her face. She backed away slowly, Carlisle said softly and kindly, "A person will come around who won't notice the scar on your face or the scars on your wrist. They won't care that you are in foster care or that you're different. I promise you that."

Elizabeth looked and him with a sad look in her eyes. She said, "I'll believe that when it happens."

Carlisle looked at her and said confidently, "It will happen."


	12. Chapter 12: The Library

That day Carlisle took Elizabeth to the library. Carlisle let her browse the books for 2 hours before taking her home with four books.

Elizabeth had started reading The Hobbit before they even got in the car. Carlisle shook his head and laughed as he got in the car. They drove back home in silence, Elizabeth reading and Carlisle thinking. There were a hundred thoughts running through his head. First, how was he going to handle her self-harming? He knew she was cutting herself, he had seen the band-aids and poorly wrapped gauzes around her hips and upper arms. However, he had no idea what she was using.

Secondly, he was going to take her into therapy. There was one problem with this; she was not going to talk to anyone willingly. She hardly talked to him, Jasper, Alice, or Esme. She was slowly starting to trust him and Jasper; however, Alice and Esme were a different story. Esme was gone most of the time for work. At the same time, so was he. But he didn't bring his work home with him. Esme was often in the kitchen working on designs for different houses and historical sites. What confused him the most was that Alice was open, excited, and tried the harder than Jasper to create a good relationship with her. Jasper, however, was elusive, silent most of the time, and left the room most of the time when she entered. It was due to her depression and Jasper's ability with emotions.

They pulled into the driveway and Carlisle parked the car. Elizabeth got out reading her book and Carlisle shook his head. They got in the house and Elizabeth went straight for the couch. Carlisle sat down on the coffee table across from Elizabeth. He put his hand on her book and then slowly took the book from her. She looked at him and said, "Hey, I was reading that!"

Carlisle chuckled lightly and said softly, "I know. We need to talk though." Elizabeth sighed and pulled her knees into her as if she was hugging herself. She said in a calm voice, "It's never good when someone says that." Carlisle looked at her for a moment, confused at the calmness in her voice. At the same time there was a bit of fear in her voice that she was clearly trying to hide. He then asked can, "May I sit next to you?" Elizabeth nodded and said, "Yeah." Carlisle stood up and then sat down next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders but she stayed very tense. Carlisle then said, "I'm taking you into therapy." Elizabeth looked at him and shook her head. "No," she said, "I won't go." Carlisle's reply was kind but definitive. He replied, "You have no choice. Your father abused you for years. Your mother died when you were a young child. You're in foster care. You cut yourself with a needle your first night here. You continue to hurt yourself. How you do that, I do not know. However, I have noticed the band-aids on your hips and the gauzes on your upper arm."

Elizabeth shook her head and said in a horse voice, clearly trying not to cry, "You can take me but I won't talk to someone I won't know. I know what they think of me. I am freak in their eyes."

Carlisle wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "You are not a freak. Especially not in the eyes of therapists. " They were both silent for a moment, Elizabeth was crying softly. Then Carlisle said, "It would be easier for both of us if you talked more." Elizabeth looked at him with the tears streaming quickly down her face. Elizabeth then said in a fearful voice, "How do I know that you won't hurt me too?"

Carlisle wiped the tears from her face and said, "You don't. But I promise I will not hurt you in any way. Neither will anyone else in my family." Elizabeth nodded and leaned against Carlisle. He held her tightly.

Esme walked into the room and Carlisle looked at her with a sad look on his face. Esme then sat down on the couch on the other side of Elizabeth and put a hand on her back. Elizabeth turned around and looked at her. She had a sad and embarrassed look on her face and then she leaned against Carlisle.

Esme took her hand away from Elizabeth. Esme then said kindly and sweetly, "You are safe here. All of us want nothing more than to see you get better." Elizabeth nodded. Then Carlisle said, "Should we go bandage up those cuts properly?" Elizabeth looked at him and nodded. They stood up and Carlisle kept a hand on her back the entire way to the bathroom. Carlisle then looked at Elizabeth and said, "Go ahead and sit on the counter." Elizabeth nodded and then climbed up on the counter in front of the mirror. Carlisle then started rummaging through the medicine cabinet for bandages. When he found them, he walked over to where Elizabeth was. He started taking off the bandages that Elizabeth had put on herself. Carlisle said in a gentle voice, "So what did you use?" Elizabeth avoided his eyes and said nothing. Carlisle kept working and said gently, "You need to tell me what you used, Elizabeth. I really want to help you but I can't do that if you don't talk to me." Elizabeth looked at him and said, "An exacto knife." He then continued to bandage her upper, left arm in silence. "Done." Elizabeth then pushed herself of the counter. As soon as she was off the counter, he put a hand on her waist. She looked away from him. He then said, "Look at me, Elizabeth. Now, I need to know you're listening and the only way I can know that is when I'm looking into your eyes." She looked at him. Carlisle nodded. "Alright so, here's the deal sweetheart. I will be checking your arms every morning before I go to work and every night before you go to bed. I won't be letting you harm yourself." Elizabeth nodded. "Alright," Carlisle said as he put gave her a playful tap on her shoulder, "Go read that book of yours." Elizabeth nodded and gave him a small smile. Carlisle then gave her a kind smile and said, "There you go. I knew you had a smile in you." Elizabeth nodded and giggled. Then she went off to her bedroom. Carlisle followed her to ensure that she kept the door open and watched her for a few moments. She curled up with her book on her bed. Carlisle then concluded that she wasn't going to harm herself that night. He left her room and he had gotten more questions than answers that morning.


	13. Chapter 13: The Clearing

Carlisle walked to the kitchen and stood at the counter, putting his head in his hands. The thoughts raced through his head. In the hundreds of years that he had lived, he had never had to deal with anything like this.

Alice, Jasper, and Esme all walked into the room. Esme looked confused, Jasper looked confused, and Alice just sighed. Jasper then asked, a bit coldly, "Why are you feeling so concerned, Carlisle?" Alice said, "Well, because he's worried about Elizabeth of course." Carlisle had turned around and was now watching them talk. Esme said to Alice, "Alice, hun, not all of us are psychic." Alice nodded and said, "Right, sorry everyone."

Carlisle looked at all of them perplexed, "What are you all doing home so early?"

Esme looked at him and said, "I am just home for lunch. I have a long lunch break because of all of the overtime I have been putting in."

Jasper then said coolly, "My classes were cancelled for the day."

Carlisle looked at Alice and said, "And you Alice?"

Alice replied in a chipper voice, "I had a vision in class. My professor thought I needed sleep so he sent me home."

Carlisle sighed and nodded. He then asked, "What was this vision about?"

Everyone looked at Alice expectantly. Alice sighed and then said, "I had a vision of Elizabeth. She was talking with Caius."

Esme's eyes widened and said, clearly in great distress, "She was talking with Caius?"

Carlisle then said very calmly, "Do you know what they were talking about?"

Alice nodded and said, "It seemed like a normal, everyday conversation. He was asking her about school. He also mentioned us, but he called us her foster family. I think he was trying to figure out if she knew what we are."

Carlisle nodded and then sighed. He said, "We need to be extremely careful to not expose our secret."

Jasper then said angrily, "We should just send her to another foster home!"

Jasper opened his mouth to continue but Carlisle held up his hand to stop him and nodded to the doorway. Elizabeth was standing in the doorway staring at Jasper. She then said, in a slightly distressed voice, "You want to send me to a different foster home?" Jasper then said, while stuttering, "that's not what I meant Elizabeth, what I really meant was . . . was. . ." Carlisle then held up his hand and asked, "Elizabeth, how long have you been standing there?" Elizabeth looked at Carlisle with tears in her eyes and said, "All I heard was what Jasper said about sending me to a different foster home." She then took off running. They all stood in shock. Carlisle looked over at Alice, who was clearly having a vision. She then snapped out of it. Carlisle asked, "Alice, what did you see?"

Alice said, "She's going to the woods. She's extremely upset."

Carlisle nodded and said, "I'll go find her."

"She's in the clearing, where Jasper and I like to stay when we're especially hungry."

Carlisle nodded, kissed Esme quickly, and took off. He found her right where Alice said she was.

Elizabeth was sitting in the middle of the clearing, sobbing and rocking back and forth. Carlisle went down on his knees and put his arms around her, pulling her into his chest. She continued sobbing and Carlisle whispered into her ear, "Jasper didn't mean what he said. He's under a lot of stress and sometimes he displaces his stress onto others."

Elizabeth said in between her sobs, "You're not going to send me to a different foster home? I've heard stories about the group homes. My. . . My friend Rose Tyler was in a group home. She. . . she had been moving between foster homes since she was 5 years old. We were 14 when- when we met. She couldn't keep friends because she - she - moved between foster homes every few months. She left at the end of - of our freshman year and - and I never heard from her again."

Carlisle held her tightly and said, "We are not going to send you away to another foster home."

Elizabeth nodded and continued weeping. Carlisle just held her, unsure of what to say. He had never had a child of his own, although he wished he had one of his own. He knew, deep down, that's why he had wanted to take Elizabeth in, to have a human child of his own. He loved all of his adopted children, but he didn't watch them grow up. He watched them change, but not in the same way, a human child grew.

Elizabeth's crying slowed down and she whispered, "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You were upset."

Elizabeth nodded. Carlisle then asked, "Do you want to go back home or stay here?"

"Can we stay here?"

Carlisle nodded and replied, "Anything you would like to talk about?"

Elizabeth was silent for a few minutes and then asked, "Why did you take me in?"

Carlisle was now the one silent, but he had been stunned into silence. How in the world would h answer this?

He then answered her question, "Because I knew you were special and strong willed person. I didn't want anyone else taking you in because I wanted to see how you would pull through. I wanted to make sure you were taken care of properly and loved the way you deserved to be. I wanted to make sure that the foster father wouldn't cause you any more pain. The only way I could do that was to take you in myself."

Elizabeth looked at him in awe. She then asked him, "You-you really think I'm a strong person?"

Carlisle nodded and replied, "Yes, yes I do. It's clear to me how strong you are. You suffered the loss of your mother at a very young age and suffered abuse from a young age. What you are feeling, I think is normal. A person that was supposed to, and should have, loved you unconditionally hurt you. It's part of being a father, to love a child unconditionally. He was supposed to protect you but he was the one you need protecting from."

Elizabeth frowned and nodded. "I don't understand why he had to hurt me." She bit down on her lip, trying to hold back the tears.

Carlisle said, "I am so sorry this happened to you. I don't think we will ever truly understand why your father hurt so much and I am so sorry for that too."

He watched her face as she fought to hold back her tears. He put a hand on her face and said, "It's okay to cry." Elizabeth nodded. She then looked at him and said, "I hate crying. I feel like I'm weak." Tears started to come down her face. Carlisle looked at her with a sad look on his face. He replied, "It is not a sign of weakness to cry. You have been a very strong person for a very long time. You are one of the strongest people I have ever known. Most people could only ever dream of having your strength."

Elizabeth nodded and then started weeping silently. Carlisle pulled her into another tight, hug, letting her cry. He wanted her to know that he cared for her and wanted her to trust her.

Elizabeth pulled away and asked, "What is Jasper going through?" Carlisle sighed and replied, "Jasper is a complicated person. He has been through a lot. He holds very high expectations of himself, some of which he is not meeting. A lot of it deals with school. He expects to get nothing but A's, but he's not the artistic type and he is required to take an art class to graduate. He's passing, he has a B+, but it is not good enough for him."

Elizabeth nodded. She then said, "Can we go back to the house? If Jasper is still home, I would like to apologize for the way I acted. I didn't give him time to explain how he was feeling or what he was going through." Carlisle stood up and offered his hand to Elizabeth. Elizabeth took his hand and he pulled her up. Carlisle looked at her tear streaked face, "Let's go" Elizabeth nodded, he put his arm around her, and they walked back to the house.


	14. Chapter 14: Distraught and supper

When they got back, Elizabeth and Carlisle walked into the living room where Jasper was pacing back and forth. They stopped at the edge of the living room and Elizabeth looked at Carlisle, looking for approval. Carlisle nodded and Elizabeth started walking towards Jasper.

Elizabeth then said in a loud but shaky voice, "Jasper, I'm sorry for whatever I did to upset you. I'm sorry for whatever I did to make you dislike me. Can you please forgive me?"

Jasper stopped pacing and looked at her for a few, long moments. Those moments felt like eternity for Elizabeth. Jasper then looked down and put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He then started talking in a low voice, "It's nothing that you did. There is nothing you can change."

He then grabbed his backpack, which had been sitting on the couch, and said, "I'm going to the library. I have a lot to do before the summer semester is over."

He started walking out the door. Elizabeth watched him, dismayed. Carlisle grabbed Jasper's arm, looked at him, and said, "Jasper. . ." Jasper shook his head and replied, "Don't. Don't even try." Jasper then pulled his arm away from Carlisle and left, slamming the door behind him.

Elizabeth just stood, with a dismayed look on her face. Carlisle looked at her and said, "Elizabeth, I'm so sorry. . . I. . . "Elizabeth just shook her head and said, "I'm fine. What just happened is fine. Everything is just fine. If you don't mind, I'm going to go to my room and work on some drawings that I started."

Carlisle nodded and said, "Of course. Make sure you leave your door open."

Elizabeth nodded and went to her room.

Carlisle sighed and sat down on the couch. Esme then walked downstairs and sat next to Carlisle on the couch. She put a hand on his leg and said, "What happened? I heard a door slam."

Carlisle sighed and then told her everything that had happened. Esme looked at him and said, "What are we going to do?"

Carlisle put his hand over Esme's and said, "I don't know. I honestly don't know. I can't just leave her, I can't abandon her. Not now, she does finally trust me. I can't make her believe that all fathers will abandon her or treat her horribly, like her biological father did."

Esme then said, "But what about Jasper?" Carlisle shook his head and said, "I don't know. I don't know what to do."

Esme nodded and then said, "I'm not going to tell you what to do or how to handle the situation, but you have to remember, we are not human. We cannot keep hiding that from her; eventually she will figure out that we are not like her. She will figure out that we are not human and that will be a problem, for us and her."

Carlisle nodded and then kissed Esme. "I still love you." Carlisle smiled and said, "I love you too."

Carlisle stood up and said, "I'm going to check on Elizabeth. I need to see how she's handling all of this."

Esme smiled and said, "Go do that, I'm going to go start making spaghetti and garlic bread. Tell Elizabeth that dinner will be ready in about an hour." Carlisle nodded and said, "I will."

Carlisle went to Elizabeth's room and knocked on Elizabeth's door. Elizabeth was painting on a large canvas and said, "You don't have to knock. The door is open." Carlisle smiled and walked over to stand behind her. He watched her paint for a few moments and then said, "Are you doing okay?"

Elizabeth said, "Yeah. I'm fine." Carlisle replied, "You don't sound fine, you sound angry."

Elizabeth continued and said, "I'm fine."

Carlisle said, "Alright, alright." He then laughed and said, "Esme told me to tell you that dinner will be ready in an hour. She's making spaghetti and garlic bread."

"Sounds good. I love spaghetti and garlic bread!" "You actually sound excited about that." Carlisle chuckled. "So what are you painting?"

Elizabeth stepped away from her canvas to show Carlisle.

It was a painting of a gothic castle. There were a couple bats flying around the highest tower that Elizabeth had painted. Dark, dead trees surrounded it.

"Very dark, but very good," Carlisle said. Elizabeth smiled and said, "Thanks."

They continued talking. He asked her a lot of questions and Elizabeth answered very directly.

They then heard Esme call down the hallway, "Dinner's ready."

Carlisle put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Let's good. It smells delicious."

Elizabeth nodded and said, "Yeah, it does."

Elizabeth grabbed a plate and started piling food on. "Smells delicious." "Thanks, Elizabeth."

Alice bounced in and said, "This smells amazing, Esme."

Esme smiled and watched as Alice and Carlisle put small amounts of food on their plates, too keep up human appearances.

Elizabeth started eating. Esme and Carlisle sat down on either side of her. Alice sat across from her. Carlisle smiled and started laughing. Elizabeth looked at him confused and asked, "What's so funny?"

Carlisle smiled and said, "You. Enjoying your food?"

Elizabeth smiled and nodded, "It's amazing."

Esme smiled and said, "Glad you enjoy it, sweetheart."


	15. Chapter 15: School

Elizabeth had been with the Cullens for almost a month now. Jasper and Alice were still at odds about Elizabeth staying with them. Jasper had agreed to her staying with them however he had many doubts about her staying that he refused to voice. As much as this concerned Carlisle, he had another, slightly more pressing problem facing him currently, Elizabeth's education.

He, Elizabeth's social worker, and Elizabeth's therapist all had agreed that she was not ready to go to public school as she had been when she was living with her father. However that made the decision between homeschooling and online education. Esme could work from home and home school her. That would mean many hoops for Esme to jump through many hoops and many of them could not be completed in a month. That left online education. Carlisle was pacing back and forth in his study. He did not want to leave Elizabeth home alone; however, he did not want to show her that he didn't trust her. She was at a high risk of self-harming, although she hadn't harmed herself in almost 2 weeks. He continued pacing and he stopped at the large window of his study. It was the middle of the night on a very clear night and Carlisle loved to look at the stars. He was wearing plaid pajamas because Elizabeth was asleep and she had no idea that they were vampires. Carlisle heard the door to his study creak open and he turned around to see Esme walking in.

He smiled and walked to over to her saying, "Hello, dear." When he got to her he put his arm around her waist and pulled her in close asking, "I thought you were doing something for work downstairs." She smiled at him and replied, "I was. I heard you passing up here and I wondered what had you up her so late worrying." Carlisle sighed and replied, "I've been worrying about what we are going do about her education. I know we've all decided on not sending her to public school, but I'm not sure leaving her alone is such a good idea." Esme looked at him and replied, "I think that we should give her some trust. She hasn't cut herself in almost 2 weeks." Carlisle nodded and opened his mouth to say something when there was a sudden scream from Elizabeth's room. Carlisle and Esme looked at each other concerned. The screams continued and Carlisle said, "I'll take care of it." He rushed off to Elizabeth's room. ON the way downstairs, he nearly ran into Alice and Jasper, both of whom looked confused. Alice asked quickly, "What's going on? We didn't hear anyone come in" Carlisle replied, "I don't know, let me handle it though, seeing as I'm the only one who seems to be dressed like a human who's gone to bed." Alice nodded and Jasper sighed sarcastically.

Carlisle rushed passed them, ignoring Jasper's sarcastic sigh. He opened Elizabeth's bedroom door and found her sitting up in her bed, sobbing. He sat down next to her on her bed, put an arm around her, and said quietly, "What's wrong?" Elizabeth said, stuttering and holding back her tears, "Nothing, nothing is wrong. It was just a dream." Carlisle watched the tears stream down her face and whipped them away. "It must have been a pretty bad dream." Elizabeth nodded. "Why don't you don't tell me about it?" Elizabeth shook her head and continued to sob quietly. "Why don't you want to tell me?" Elizabeth replied in a soft voice, "Because. It's stupid. It's just a dream." Carlisle replied, "Well, it must be a pretty bad dream for you to wake up screaming." Elizabeth nodded. "So, tell me about it." Elizabeth looked at him. She had stopped crying but there were still tears in her eyes. She nodded and began speaking in a low, soft voice, "My father was in it. I was back living with him. It was just like before I moved here except my mother was alive. He was beating her and I tried to stop him. I couldn't let him hurt her the way he has hurt me. But he pushed me away, into a wall. He kept beating her and then he told her that if she burnt me with a cigarette, he would stop hurting her. She agreed, so he lights a cigarette and gave it to her. She started burning me with it and that's when I woke up."

Carlisle nodded and said, "That sounds like an awful dream." Elizabeth nodded and started crying again.

Carlisle pulled her in close, wanting to ask her more questions, like if her father had ever burnt her with cigarettes or if he had beat her mother in front of her. But he didn't. He let her cry. Carlisle felt Elizabeth's body shake with each sob. He stroked her head while he held her tightly and whispered, "Everything is going to be alright. No one is ever going to hurt you like that ever again."

Elizabeth nodded and hugged Carlisle back, as tight as she possibly could sitting on her bed. This was a first, she had always hugged Carlisle back when he hugged her but had never made an effort.

Elizabeth then whispered, "Thank you." "You don't need to thank me for anything."

Elizabeth looked at him and replied, again in a whisper, "Yes, I do. You gave me a home and you've become the father I've never had. Esme is the mother I've never had. Alice is like a sister and Jasper is like a brother." She gave a small smile and then continued talking, even if it was in a whisper, "I know Jasper doesn't want me here. I'm not sure why, but he doesn't. But he's still like a brother to me."

Carlisle said, "Jasper wants you here. He's just going through a rough time right now."

Elizabeth nodded and then said, "I know this is a weird question for me to ask, but can you stay in here until I fall asleep? I, I, Just think that it would be easier for me to fall asleep . . . that way."

Carlisle nodded and said, "Of course." Elizabeth nodded and then laid her head on her pillow. As promised, Carlisle stayed until she was asleep. It took her awhile though. But he didn't leave.

When she was asleep, Carlisle got up, leaned over, and kissed Elizabeth on top of her head.

He left her room, knowing that somehow and some way she was going to be all right.


	16. Chapter 16: The Camera

Elizabeth was enrolled in an online school. She started in two weeks, on September first.

She was going to take basic classes, history, math, English, and biology.

However, what surprised everyone the most is that she had asked if she could take a photography class at the local technical school. Carlisle and Esme had agreed with great enthusiasm, grateful that Elizabeth was showing interest in something.

Elizabeth was sitting on the couch reading a book. Alice came in and smiled. "Hello Elizabeth."

Elizabeth looked up and smiled, saying, "Hi Alice. How are you?"

"Quite well, how about yourself?" Alice sat down next to Elizabeth. Elizabeth replied, "Good."

Alice said, "Great! So, I was thinking that we could go somewhere and get a camera for you, since you're taking that photography classes. I was thinking we could go today, since I don't have any classes today."

Elizabeth nodded and said, "That'd be nice." Alice squealed and said, "Yay! I'm so excited."

Carlisle walked into the room and saw Alice and Elizabeth hugging. Carlisle smiled and said jokingly, "What are you two planning?"

Elizabeth pulled away and Alice turned towards Carlisle saying, "We're going to get a camera for Elizabeth so she can take pictures."

Carlisle's smile grew bigger and said, "I think that's a great idea! Let me know how much it costs and I'll pay you back for it, Alice." Alice nodded and then practically jumped off the couch and pulled Elizabeth with her.

Elizabeth nodded and followed Alice to her car.

They came back about an hour later and Elizabeth had a new camera in its box.

Carlisle was sitting at the kitchen counter working on some paperwork. Elizabeth sat down next to Carlisle, put her camera on the counter, and said, "Shouldn't you be enjoying your day off Carlisle?"

Carlisle sighed and said, "Yes. I have a lot of paper work to get done first though."

Elizabeth smiled and nodded. Carlisle sighed and put down his pen. "I could use a break though," He looked confused for a second, and then asked, "Where's Alice?"

"She dropped me off and went to the library. She said she was meeting Jasper there because they both have a lot of work to do before the summer semester ends."

Carlisle nodded and then said, "Well that doesn't mean that we can't enjoy ourselves right? Would you like to go get ice cream? There's a wonderful, family owned place in Oregon."

Elizabeth nodded and said, "That'd be great." Carlisle said, "Bring your camera. You can practice using it if you want." Elizabeth got a huge grin on her face and grabbed her camera. "Ready?" Carlisle asked.

Elizabeth nodded. Carlisle put his arm around her shoulders protectively and said, "Alright then, let's go."

They went and got ice cream. Carlisle swore that Elizabeth had smiled most of the time they were eating. Carlisle swore she took hundreds of pictures. They were of the birds and other small critters they saw while walking around, statues, and of course, him.

Carlisle laughed and said, "You sure love that camera don't you?" Elizabeth nodded and said, "thank you, for getting it for me." Carlisle replied with a huge smile on his face, "Any time deer. I'm happy to see you enjoying something. I've never seen you smile that much."

Elizabeth looked away, embarrassed and shrugged. Carlisle laughed and said, "It's true."

She then asked, a bit nervously, "Can I get a picture of us?" Carlisle smiled and said, "Of course." She took a picture of the two of them.

Carlisle patted her on her back and said, "Alright, let's go back. I've got a lot to do and I think Esme would be very disappointed if she couldn't hound you about what you want for dinner."

Elizabeth laughed and said, "Alright, let's go."

As soon as the door opened Esme called out, "There you two are. I was just about to call you, Carlisle."

Carlisle replied with a smile on his face, "We went to get ice cream at the family owned place."

"Oh, wonderful! What do you want for dinner, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth shrugged and said, "Can I have peanut butter and jelly sandwich?"

Carlisle and Esme both looked at her quizzically and Esme said, "A peanut butter and jelly sandwich?"

Elizabeth nodded and said, "Yeah. My mom always use to make them for me when she was alive that is"

Carlisle continued looking at her and said, "Your mom died when you were a young child, like four right?"

Elizabeth nodded. Esme, seeing where Carlisle's train of thought was going, asked, "How do you remember that?"

Elizabeth said, "I don't know. I just remember it."

Esme nodded and then said, "Of course, you can have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

Elizabeth smiled.

Carlisle sat down at the counter and started again. Esme was bustling around the kitchen and said, "I see you have a new camera. Alice help you pick it?"

Elizabeth nodded. Esme smiled and said, "I'm glad you two are getting so close. Did you take a lot of pictures while you and Carlisle were out getting ice cream?"

Elizabeth said, "Yes." "You'll have to show me when you're done eating."

Carlisle said, "They are amazing photographs. You'll enjoy them." Esme smiled and said, "Awesome, looks like we have another artist in the family. Did you get a picture of Carlisle? He hates his picture getting taken."

Elizabeth nodded. Carlisle then said, "She got one." Esme smiled and chuckled. "Good. I never get pictures of him." Esme winked at Elizabeth and Elizabeth started giggling.

Carlisle said, "I haven't heard you laugh for a couple weeks. You should do it more often. "

Esme finished the sandwich and put it on the counter. "There you go, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth sat down at the counter and started eating. Carlisle just shook his head and kept working, surprised that out of everything they had in the house to eat, she had chosen a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.


	17. Chapter 17: Public School

Elizabeth had been in the public school for a month now. Her grades had improved significantly. She now had a C average, instead of her F average. However, her depression seemed to be getting worse. Elizabeth slept less, ate less, and the cuts on her body showed up more.

Carlisle was at a loss. He didn't know how to handle her depression. At the same time, he and the rest of the family were still trying to hide the fact that they were vampires. It grew harder with each passing day because Elizabeth almost never left the house. She only left to go to school and if Alice or Carlisle forced her out to do something with them.

Elizabeth preferred to stay in her room drawing or writing. They knew she wrote poetry because of Alice's visions. They did not know what she wrote about because she refused to show anyone. At the same time, her relationship with Jasper seemed to be improving despite her growing depression.

Carlisle was working on paperwork at the hospital while thinking about all of this. He looked at the clock. It was 5:45 and he had an appointment with a patient at 6. He sighed. Luckily, it was only an annual checkup. It would take half an hour at most.

When the appointment was over, Carlisle got in his car and sat for about 5 minutes before even starting the car. He had one question plaguing his mind. What was upsetting Elizabeth so much?

The entire drive home was as if he was on autopilot. He spent the entire drive deliberating on the question and how to get Elizabeth to tell him what was going on.

Carlisle walked in the front door and hung his coat on the rack. Esme was pacing the living room. Carlisle looked at her and asked sounding extremely concerned, "What's wrong?"

Esme stopped and looked at him, sighing heavily. "Elizabeth still isn't home and she isn't picking up her cell phone. Jasper, Alice, and I have all tried calling her. Alice is trying to see if she can find her in a vision." Carlisle nodded and replied, "I will try calling her." Esme nodded and continued pacing. Carlisle was on his phone muttering to himself, "Come on Elizabeth, pick up. Let me know you're safe." It rang, once, twice, three times. Then there was a timid, "Hello" at the other end of the line. "Elizabeth?" said Carlisle earnestly. "Yes." "Where are you?" There was a pause. Then, Elizabeth replied, still timidly, "I'm in the clearing."

Carlisle sighed and said, "I will be there soon." The reply was soft and barely audible but Carlisle managed to catch, "Okay" before she hung up. Esme was staring at Carlisle, looking worried. "She's fine. She's in the clearing. I don't know what's going on." Esme nodded and then looked to the stairs as Alice and Jasper rushed down. Alice said hurriedly, "I know you know she's in the clearing. She's extremely upset. I saw you two talking. She was sobbing. It looked like she had a black eye." Carlisle nodded. "I'll have my cell with me. I don't know how long this will take." They all nodded, staring as Carlisle grabbed his jacket and then rushed out the back door.  
Carlisle found Elizabeth sitting in the middle of the clearing.

She had her arms wrapped around her knees and she was rocking back and forth. Carlisle got down on his knees and wrapped his arms around her. He sat down and pulled her in, holding her tightly. He looked down at her face and saw the black eye that Alice had mentioned. She also had dried blood on her swollen lip. "What happened?"

Elizabeth just shook her head and said nothing. Carlisle then said to her, "Elizabeth, you have to talk to me. I cannot help you if you don't tell me what's going on. I can't read minds, although I've thought it'd be helpful. I have also found myself wishing for the ability increasingly lately."

Elizabeth smiled a small, sad smile. She then said in a soft, sad voice, "I was beat up after school. By a couple kids. I don't know who they were. They beat me up because of my scars and because I don't talk in class. They said I was a freak." There was crack in her voice and she started sobbing. "Why didn't you tell Esme right away? She would have been home when you got home." She looked at him and said, "Because I was scared. They're right, I'm a freak. I deserved what they gave me."

Carlisle looked at her and said, "You are not a freak. You did not, and never, deserve to be physically harassed or harassed in any other way. Understand me?" Elizabeth nodded and continued sobbing. Carlisle hugged her; he had no idea what to do. He had never seen someone so sad, so broken. It had all started with her mother's death, it continued with her father's alcohol abuse which lead to his physical, mental, and verbal abuse of his daughter, and now it was continuing at her school. It was continuing in his home. Carlisle had never felt so powerless. "Tomorrow, I am taking you to school. We are going in and we are going to talk to the principal. We are going to get this taken care of. You will not be harmed physically or emotionally at school again. You are going to continue to do well in school. You'll find friends. Everything is going to be okay."

Elizabeth nodded and continued sobbing. Carlisle held her, saying nothing.


	18. Chapter 18: The Break Down

Carlisle closed his eyes as he held her close. How had he not noticed? Every day she had come home and he had seen the pain. But he had assumed that it was from the abuse she had suffered at the hands of her parents. Her grades had improved significantly. How in the world was he supposed to help her?

Her sobs started to become slower but her entire body was still shaking in his arms. She then whispered, "Carlisle, I want to die. They're right, they're right. I'm a freak. I don't deserve to live. I should have never been born."

Carlisle held onto her. He then said, "No, dear, no. You deserve to live; you deserve to be happy. I am so lucky that you were born."

Elizabeth looked up at him and asked, "Why are you lucky, why did you agree to let me live with you?"

Carlisle looked down at her. The pain in her eyes and the tears streaming down her face killed him. Seeing her in so much pain was horrible for him. He loved her and wanted her to be happy. He then replied, his voice shaking slightly, "I agreed to have you in my home because you reminded me of my niece who died many years ago. I loved her very much and I could tell you were in pain. I wanted to love you as much as I loved her and to show you that you are lovable."

Elizabeth started to sob hard once again. She hugged him and held on to him tightly. He stood up and she stood up with him. "Let's go home and get you cleaned up, alright dear?"

She nodded. Carlisle didn't let go of her once all the way to their home. As they were leaving the clearing, he said, "Why don't you tell me about what happened at school today?"

Elizabeth nodded and surprisingly, wasn't crying anymore. She told him about how they had waited until she had started walking to the bus to jump her. There were 4 of them. Two them held her still, the third had punched her, and the fourth had taunted her. The fourth had called her a misfit and a freak. The two holding her arms told her that she deserved to die; that she should never have been born at all.

Carlisle listened intently and his heart broke into a million pieces with all that she told him. When they reached the house, Esme came running out and saying, "Are you okay, Elizabeth? The bus company called and told me what happened at school today. I'm going to file a complaint with the school right now. " Elizabeth could hear the fear and concern in Esme's voice and it made her break down crying.

Carlisle spoke for her saying, "She'll be okay. Why don't you go make that complaint? I'll take care of her injuries." Esme nodded and said, "Of course! Alice and Jasper are inside. I told them to make dinner."

Carlisle nodded.

Carlisle and Elizabeth went into the bathroom. Carlisle acted calm but his mind was in turmoil. What were they going to do? Was Elizabeth going to be okay? Why wouldn't she talk to him or anyone else in the family about things like this? Had she been being teased since the day she started public school? Why hadn't the school contacted them earlier? How was she handling this? Obviously, she was blaming herself, but how much? What could he do to help her? All of these questions and a million more ran through his mind.

"Why don't you get up the counter?" Elizabeth nodded and started getting up on the counter. She fell and Carlisle caught her. He then lifted her up on the counter. "Thank you." She said this quietly. "Is there something wrong with your legs?" Elizabeth replied, "No," but she refused to look at him in the eyes. Carlisle began to bandage her cuts that were on her arms.

"I'll be right back"

Elizabeth nodded.

Carlisle came back a few minutes later with an ice pack in hand. He then lifted her face up so she was looking at him and put the ice pack on one of her eyes. "So, what's wrong with your leg?"

Elizabeth shrugged.

"Tell me."

She stared at him and then started avoiding his eyes. "I - - I - - um. . .I hurt myself on my thighs and - -and then they started hitting me there."

"Let me see"

Elizabeth sighed.

"Now."

Elizabeth slipped off her pants. Up and down both thighs were burn marks and newly forming bruises.

"We're going to have to take you to the hospital. I can't do anything to help these here."

Elizabeth stared at him with a shocked look on her face. She then said, "No! No, no, no! I can't go to the hospital! They'll keep me in the psych ward and -!"

Carlisle held up his hands and said, "You have no choice. If you don't come willingly I will take you in by force. You need help and you refuse to ask for it so I'm going to force you to get the help that you need. Understand?"

Elizabeth nodded and sighed. "Alright. Lets go."  
She pants back on and Carlisle wrapped an arm around her waist. He walked her to the car and then went in to tell Esme, Jasper, and Alice where they were going and why.

Carlisle came back to the car alone. Elizabeth was slumped against the window staring out at the woods.

Carlisle got in and started the car. He then started talking as he went down the driveway. "Alice, Jasper, and Esme will come see you when you get settled in a room. Esme agrees that you should stay as long as you need."

Elizabeth just replied, "Okay."

Carlisle looked at her and said, "Everything is going to be okay."

Elizabeth looked at him and said, "How do you know? I am a worthless piece of shit. I am nothing, a freak." She looked out the window again.

"Why do you hurt yourself so much?"

"Because it makes the emotional pain easier to handle. Also, I deserve the physical pain. Like I said, I'm a freak. I will never make any friends and I won't go anywhere with my life."

Carlisle replied with confidence and slight concern in his voice, "You are an amazing person. You do not deserve the physical pain you cause yourself. I'm here to talk to, as are Esme, Jasper, and Alice."

"Jasper hates me."

"No, he doesn't. He sees a lot of himself in you and I think it scares him a bit. Give him some time."

"Whatever."

And 10 minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of the Hospital. Carlisle helped Elizabeth out of the car and into the emergency room.


	19. Chapter 19: A night at the Hospital

Elizabeth was sedated and sleeping in a hospital room. Carlisle was sitting by her bed watching her. Esme, Alice, and Jasper had left about an hour before hand. Mary, the social worker, knocked on the door. Carlisle looked up and said, "Come in Mary." Mary sat down next to him. "How is everything?"

Carlisle sighed. He looked at her and said, "I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm a failure as a father."

Mary nodded and said, "You are not a failure. I talked with her therapist. Her therapist thinks that you and Esme are the best people for her to live with her."

Carlisle stared at her for a long moment. He forced himself to blink because if he didn't she would notice there was something odd about him.

Carlisle took a deep breath and said, "Why does he say that?"

Mary smiled at him and said, "Because she smiles every once and a while. Elizabeth speaks fondly of you, she trusts you. For her to trust the male that is the father figure in her life this shortly after being taken out of her abusive home is a huge accomplishment. It is to be expected that she is depressed. However, it is not good that she is being teased, harassed, and beaten at school but it seems like you and Esme are handling it quite well. The school says you already called and reported the incident. I think she should stay with you and Esme."

Carlisle nodded. "So why are you here?"

"To see how she was and to see how you are handling all of this. You seem like you're handling it like any other parent would. Where's Esme?"

"I told her to go home and to get some rest." Carlisle sighed. He had so many questions to ask, but he couldn't ask Mary. Elizabeth would eventually notice that they were aging. What would they do then?

Mary nodded and said, "I'll check in with Elizabeth tomorrow, to see how she's doing."

Carlisle nodded. "I work at this hospital, so if you need anything just have them page me."

Mary nodded and said, "Thank you Mr. Cullen."

Carlisle nodded and replied, "Any time, Mary. And please, call me Carlisle."

Carlisle stayed there all night, pretending to dose off every for short periods, so he wouldn't draw attention to himself. He was trying to find a solution to his problem. The fact that they never age. If they told her, the Volturi would find out. Once they found out, there would only be two possibilites, to turn her into a vampire or watch the Volturi kill her, and then possibly watch the rest of his family be killed as well.

Alice then walked in and sat down next to him. She stared at Elizabeth and said, "We'll figure out something. She has to stay with us."

Carlisle nodded and said, "Alice, what do we do? I love her like I love you, Edward, Jasper Bella. . " His voice trailed off for a moment and then said, "I can't let her go. It would break my heart. But I can't put her through torment of finding out what we are either. She would have to choose. Either be turned or die."

Alice nodded and replied in a tone filled with seriousness and sadness, "She will choose to turn into a vampire. But we must take care of her depression first. We cannot turn her while her mind is so deep in sadness."

Carlisle nodded and replied, "Alright." Alice and Carlisle sat in silence the rest of the night, watching Elizabeth sleep and calming her down whenever she woke up screaming. She would sometimes tell them about her nightmares. She would dream about her parents coming back and beating her or that her tormenters surround her, taunting her, and watching as her drunken father beat her. Carlisle ended up sitting on the bed with Elizabeth leaning against him. It was the only way she would stay asleep for more than an hour or two. When morning came, Alice stood up. She looked at Carlisle, "I have to go to class. She'll be okay. You can go to work. She'll wake up in a few minutes." Carlisle nodded and watched Alice leave.

True to Alice's predictions, Elizabeth woke up a few minutes after Alice left. She was extremely confused, she looked around the room unsure of what to do or where she was.

Carlisle said in a soft, calm voice, "Elizabeth, hun. You're in the hospital, I took you here because you're injuries were so substantial I couldn't treat them at home. They sedated you so that they could examine you without you fighting."

Elizabeth nodded. Carlisle asked her, "Would you be alright if I went to work? You can always have them page me if you need something."

Elizabeth nodded and replied, "I'll be fine."

Carlisle nodded towards the table next to her bed, "I brought you some books, your notebook, and your sketch pad and some pencils. I thought you might need something to do."

Elizabeth nodded and replied, "Thank you." Her voice was soft; she was holding back tears. She then reached over and hugged him tightly. "Thank you for all that you've done for me.

"Anytime, my dear. I left Esme's number and Alice's number as well, you can call them if you want. Alice has classes but if you ever just want to say hi to someone, text her, she'll text you in between classes. Your phone is also on the table."

Elizabeth smiled a sad smile. Elizabeth replied, "Thank you."

Carlisle stood up and kissed Elizabeth on her head. "I'll come see you on my lunch break."

"See you then, Carlisle."

Carlisle walked down the hallways and up the stairs to the pediatrics department.

How could one young girl turn his life upside down? He could have lived generally unnoticed by society. He and his family could move on when they needed to. Now they couldn't. Taking Elizabeth out of school and moving her away would draw attention to them. They had been in Seattle for two years, someone was bound to notice they weren't aging. No one would notice Alice and Jasper quite a while. Although, he and Esme were saying they were almost 30. Questions were going to be asked. Questions that would have to be answered. "Hello Carlisle" said the secretary at the desk. "Hello Greta, how are you this morning?"

"Quite well, thank you. How's that girl of yours, Elizabeth?"

"She's doing better. It will take some time for her to be 100 percent better."

Greta nodded and said, "things like that always take time. You're a good father though. I've seen her with you, she seems quite happy with you."

Carlisle smiled softly and said, "Thank you Greta, I'll see you later."

"Have a good day Carlisle."


	20. Chapter 20: Jasper

Carlisle went through his day as if everything was normal, but his mind never left Elizabeth. He went to visit her on his lunch hour. She was happy and smiling; extremely excited about the doughnut he brought her. During his lunch hour, he talked to Elizabeth's doctors. They told him that she could go home when he was done with work, to make sure everything was stable.

Carlisle spent the rest of the day looking at the clock, hoping that the day would go quickly. He wanted to bring her home. Alice was already planning a welcome home party. The doctors told him to watch her closely. She had a slight concussion, so she had to be extremely careful and they changed her anti-depressants. Everyone had decided that the ones she was on was not working.

At 7 o' clock on the dot, Carlisle packed up what work he could bring home, which was very limited due to patient confidentiality. His last patient had been at 6 and it had just been a yearly physical. Great girl, Carlisle loved being a pediatrician. As he walked to the ICU, his mind wandered back to the night he first met Elizabeth. The night Elizabeth had come to the Emergency Room on the verge of death. How drawn he had been to her. He was drawn to her because she looked like a younger version of his cousin. She had died in childbirth. He had been 10 at the time. Elizabeth's personality, it was reminded him of the stories his father told him about his mother. Elizabeth reminded him of his mother and his aunt. He reached her room and stood outside, looking thru the window. The nurse was helping her pack up her clothing. Carlisle walked in, leaned against the door frame and smiled. A sad smile crossed Elizabeth's face. "Hi Carlisle!" Carlisle walked towards Elizabeth with open arms. She rushed into his arms and he pulled into her a tight hug; he was careful not to hug too tightly. She hugged him tightly back, her grip around his waist was a grip of death. Which was surprising considering her size and the amount of physical abuse she'd been a victim off. Carlisle looked down and said, "Shall we go, I think Alice is excited for your homecoming." Elizabeth looked up and nodded. Carlisle let her go and grabbed her duffle bag. He always laughed when he saw it. He and Esme had bought it for her and she had insisted on a Scooby Doo bag. Apparently, as a young child, she had loved watching Scooby Doo at daycare. It was heavy from the amount of books in the bag. Carlisle wrapped his arm around Elizabeth's waist to help her walk. She was still very unsteady on her feet. They walked to his car and he helped her into the car. They drove without saying a word. Carlisle had classical music playing quietly. Elizabeth looked at him and asked, "Mozart?" Carlisle smiled and said, "Yes. You know your music."

Elizabeth nodded. "My choir teacher taught me how to play piano. I loved it." As they pulled into the driveway, Carlisle smiled and said, "My son Edward plays piano. He'll be coming to visit with his wife Bella, maybe he can teach you some." Elizabeth nodded and said quietly, "That'd be nice. It's nice having older siblings. And parents, who take an interest." Carlisle smiled softly and parked the car. "Shall we go in? Act surprised when you go in, Alice has plenty of party decorations up and party plans for you." Elizabeth grinned and said, "Sounds . . . fun. I've never had a party planned for me." Carlisle said, "Then this will be a real treat for you. Alice loves planning parties."

Carlisle and Elizabeth walked into the front door. Alice and Esme yelled, "Welcome home." Jasper hung back, leaning back against the wall. He was smiling softly, clearly pleased that they were home. Alice and Esme nearly suffocated Elizabeth with their hugs. Elizabeth hugged back. Esme seemed quite surprised but Alice's smile just grew bigger with each passing moment. Alice started talking quickly, "We have your favorite meal and dessert made, spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs. Jasper made his famous dirt pudding."

Elizabeth grinned, "Thank you, all. I love you all." Esme, Alice, and Carlisle all smiled widely. Jasper just stood in the corner with a straight face. He showed no emotion. They all ate; Elizabeth ate slowly, trying to savor each bite. Elizabeth looked at Jasper and said, "Thank you for making dessert. It was delicious."

Jasper nodded and then stood up, leaving them. Elizabeth gave Carlisle and Esme a confused look and then left following Jasper.

Jasper went up to his rooms with Elizabeth close behind. Jasper turned and said, "Leave me. Please."

"Why?"  
"I don't want to talk to you."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and said, "You have a problem with me. What is it?"

Jasper sighed and said, "Nothing, I've just had a long day of school and work. I would like to rest."

Elizabeth nodded and said, "I know what it's like, you know. To feel left behind, like people are ignoring you." Jasper just shook his head. "You did nothing wrong."

"Then what is it? Why do you avoid me so much? I don't know what to do. I try to talk to you but you ignore me. I don't know what you like to do, so I can't ask you to do something with me. " Elizabeth was sobbing at this point.

Jasper nodded and stretched out his hands, offering a hug. Elizabeth accepted it. Jasper rubbed her back; he could feel her sobs shaking her body. He heard her whisper, "I'm sorry for whatever I've done to hurt you."

Jasper just held her tighter and said, "You could never hurt me. You are a wonderful girl. I am so lucky to have you for a little sister."

Jasper sat down on his bed, pulling her onto his lap, holding her tightly. Jasper never let her go, trying to show her he cared through his touch. Carlisle and Esme watched in the doorway. After a few moments, they left Jasper and Elizabeth alone, to solve everything themeselves.


	21. Chapter 21 Elizabeth and Jasper

Jasper held Elizabeth close. He could feel Elizabeth's feelings radiating from her like the heat from a fire. Jasper could feel her sadness and her happiness that she hadn't ruined their relationship. These feelings began to overwhelm Jasper and he had to take a deep breath to hold himself together. He didn't want to risk having to explain what was going on. That would lead to the eventual talk about what he and the rest of the family were. Jasper then began to tell her a story. "Elizabeth, I never disliked you. From the moment I met you, I liked you. I have grown to love you over these past few months. You remind me a lot of me at your age. I haven't decided if it scares me yet or not. I think it does. It scares me because I don't want you to end up in the same situations I did. I want you to be happy. I could have handled everything better and should have helped you. All I did was hinder you and throw obstacles in your path. Unintentionally, of course. For that, I am so sorry."

Elizabeth leaned over and hugged him. "I have never had an older brother. My parents only had me."

Jasper nodded and felt a wave of nervousness crash over him. What could he do? He couldn't tell her the real reason he was so upset. He could only hide their family's secrets for so long. Lying made him feel sick. Jasper could hear her heart beat slowing down and it made him feel worse. She was accepting his lie. He could only hear her heartbeat faintly. Elizabeth was leaning against him with her eyes closed. She was taking deep breathes to calm herself down; she was trying to avoid a panic attack. Jasper held his breathe. Everything she was doing reminded him of what he had lost the night Maria had turned him. Elizabeth had no idea that she was driving him crazy. He wanted to go back to the time when he couldn't feel every person's emotions. The stronger the person was feeling it, the more it affected him and Elizabeth had been having mood swings like no other human he had encountered. It made him crazy, unsure of what to do. He didn't know if he should calm her, help her feel happy. Sometimes her mood changed three or four times within an hour with no reason that he could see.

Elizabeth opened her eyes and looked at him. She asked, concerned, "why are you holding your breathe? Am I upsetting you? What's wrong?" Jasper shook his head and said quietly, "Nothing's wrong." Elizabeth gave him a look and he knew that she knew he was lying. She pushed himself off his bed and rushed off. Jasper sighed and walked downstairs to talk to Carlisle and Esme. Maybe they would know what to do.


	22. Chapter 22: Jasper's Departure

Jasper walked down the stairs with a stunned look on his face. He knew that Esme was cooking before he got halfway down the stairs. Smells wafted up the stairs. Jasper could smell chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. Elizabeth loved chocolate chip cookies, especially if they were fresh out of the oven. Jasper also smelt a sauce of some sort. He guessed that Esme was making some sort of pasta dish for Elizabeth. Jasper then wondered what their excuse was going to be for not eating tonight. When Jasper got down the stairs, he saw Carlisle sitting on the couch reading what looked like the New York Times. Carlisle was sitting stiffly, as if he was a brick wall. Jasper sat down next to Carlisle and he put down his newspaper. "What's wrong, Jasper?"

Jasper whispered, "Elizabeth knows that there's something up, that we're hiding something. She just won't say it." Carlisle sighed, "I guess we knew that would happen but no matter what we cannot tell her. She can't know." Jasper's face looked like it had turned into stone. His face was frozen in anger. Carlisle stood up, placing his paper on the coffee table, and put both hands on Jasper's shoulders. Carlisle looked Jasper straight in the eyes and said, "She cannot know. If the Volturi even knew she was here, she would be in extreme danger. Now add her knowing about what we are, she would die. We could barely save Bella, how would we be able to save her?"

Emotions swirled through Jasper like he had never felt before. Carlisle took a step back, seeing the feelings in his eyes. Jasper stood up straight and pretended that he was in the army again. He told himself that he was back as a soldier. He told himself to stand at attention and to show no feelings. Carlisle put his hands in his pockets and said in a low voice, "Alice had a vision the other night."

Jasper felt the shock well up inside of him.

"She never told me."

Carlisle avoided his eyes. "I know. She didn't want you to know. She knows how much you care for Elizabeth." Carlisle went silent. Jasper hissed, "What did she see?" Carlisle looked at him with a sad look and said, "She saw the Volturi coming here. It was Aro, Jane, and Alec. They were taking Elizabeth. They took her to their castle. Jane was using her powers against Elizabeth, trying to find out some sort of information." Jasper bit his lip and said, "Why did no one tell me?"

At that moment, Esme walked in from the kitchen. She then said, "We decided not to tell you because Alice has been wrong before. We all know how deeply you care for Elizabeth." Carlisle walked over to Esme, put an arm around her, and pulled her in close and kissed her. Carlisle then whispered what everyone was thinking, "But she's usually not." Carlisle then turned towards Jasper. Jasper's anger was at the highest it had been in centuries. He then turned and ran out the door before anyone could tell him to stop. Thirty seconds later, Alice came through the door. Her face went from concerned to crestfallen. She whispered, "He already left, didn't he?" Carlisle nodded. Alice walked quickly and silently up the stairs to her room; Carlisle heard her shut and lock her door. Esme and Carlisle knew it meant that no one should bother her. Esme kissed Carlisle on his face and said, "I'm going to finish making dinner for Elizabeth. Why don't you go get her? Dinner will be finished in about five minutes." Carlisle nodded. Carlisle's heartfelt heavy with the weight of the situation. Jasper was gone and based on Alice's reaction; he wasn't coming back any time soon. Elizabeth knew they were hiding something. Elizabeth living with them was becoming more complicated but she was their family now.

Elizabeth had become like a daughter to Carlisle and Esme. Jasper and Alice loved her like a little sister. Carlisle knew that the rest of his children loved Elizabeth even though they barely knew her. Jasper and Alice loved her; that was enough for them.


	23. Chapter 23: Jasper's wanderings

Jasper wandered in the woods alone in his thoughts. The first week, he refused to eat. Eventually, the hunger became almost uncontrollable He fed on deer and fox. Jasper had refused to eat because it was his being a vampire that prevented him from being the older brother he wished to be. Jasper knew that he should be dead and in his grave. He should have never met Elizabeth. Jasper felt an anger well up inside of him towards Carlisle. He felt anger towards Carlisle for adopting Elizabeth, for making him care for her. Jasper's anger did not last long. He knew that Carlisle had done what he had thought was right. Carlisle had always had a great compassion for others and he had felt a strong connection with Elizabeth, although Jasper wasn't sure why.

Jasper stayed away from his home and his family for two months wrestling with what is right and wrong. He was searching for answers to questions he didn't know. He struggled with hiding his identity and past from Elizabeth. Jasper felt as if he had created a fictional character he was now acting out around Elizabeth. The past few years, Jasper had been trying to reach out to his family more. He wanted to show much he cared for them. He started talking about his childhood and eventually moved into the more personal parts of his life. Jasper was allowing himself to trust the people he loved unconditionally.


End file.
